Herodotus - The Gnome of Sofia

Political intrigue, deception and murder, Herodotus – The Gnome of Sofia has it all. Sir Arthur Cumberpot has an unspectacular career when he is appointed British Ambassador to Bulgaria. Due to unforeseen mishaps his wife Annabel is accused of being a spy but is guilty of nothing, other than being the biological daughter of Jim Kilbey. More

Against a backdrop of political change in South Eastern Europe, the story embraces disgruntled communists, cold war warriors,intrigue, deception and finally murder.

Sir Arthur Cumberpot has an unspectacular career which is swiftly drawn to a close when he is appointed British Ambassador to Bulgaria. Due to some unforeseen mishaps his wife Annabel is accused of being a spy and sent home to theirhouse in Watlington while her background is checked by MI5.

Annabel is guilty of nothing, other than being the biological daughter of Jim Kilbey, Britain’s most famous spy. It seems that a jealous god has sought to visit the sins of the father upon her,but so has everyone else. She is the victim of serendipity, but also of cover ups, the duplication of thin evidence and exaggeration. But she is also heartless, treacherous, self indulgent and without shame.

Patrick Brigham was the Editor in Chief of the first English Language news magazine in Bulgaria between 1995 and 2000. As a journalist he witnessed the changes in this once hard core Communist Country and personally knew most of the political players, including the old Dictator Todor Zhivkov and his successors Zhelev and Stoyanov. Traditionally a hotbed of intrigue and the natural home of the conspiracy theory, Bulgaria proved to be quite a challenge and for many the transition was painful. Despite this, he personally managed to survive these changes and now lives peacefully in Northern Greece. A writer and journalist for many years, he has written a number of short stories and articles which might be better described as light hearted, whilst confirming that the truth is often stranger than fiction.